Morton Looks to Be Back to His Old Self

Tailback Chad Morton finally looks more like himself again in his third week back from a back injury.

“I think Chad’s 100%,” Coach Paul Hackett said. “I knew against Washington State he wasn’t. Last week was better. This week in practice, you can tell he is.”

Morton was on pace for a 1,000-yard season before sitting out two games because of a strained and bruised back.

It’s something of a longshot now--he has 522 yards with four games left--but a bowl game would help.

“Getting him to 1,000 would really be something,” Hackett said, and it sounds as if Morton will get plenty of opportunities.

“For us to win the next four, we’re going to have to run the ball.”

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It’s homecoming for USC, and Anthony Munoz, the former Trojan offensive lineman who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, will be honored along with former offensive lineman Brad Budde, who recently made the College Football Hall of Fame.

Munoz probably will be treated especially well. His son, Mike, is a high-profile junior offensive line prospect at Cincinnati’s Moeller High, but it’s expected to be tough to get him out of Big Ten territory.

Former baseball coach Rod Dedeaux also will be honored, along with a player from each of USC’s 12 national champion baseball teams.

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The wristband experiment has found a fan in freshman quarterback Carson Palmer after the Trojans started using them to help get the play in from the sideline.

“It works. I like it,” Palmer said.

Mike Van Raaphorst wasn’t as enthusiastic.

“To me, it takes more time than just signaling the play,” he said.

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The warning has gone out to USC’s punt coverage team: Watch yourselves on the “halo rule” against Washington’s Joe Jarzynka.

Jarzynka makes a habit of never calling for a fair catch, but rules provide for a two-yard cushion for him to catch the ball anyway--the so-called “halo rule.”

Washington has benefited from 15-yard penalties on the play quite a few times already this season, and USC has been penalized in other games as well.

“You’ve got to come in under control,” special teams coach Shawn Slocum said. “First, to make the tackle, and second because we don’t want to violate the rule.”

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Shamsud-Din Abdul-Shaheed will start at defensive tackle in place of Aaron Williams, who should be able to play despite missing practices because of a neck “stinger.” . . . Linebacker Mark Cusano will play after recovering from a quadriceps strain, but Zeke Moreno will start. . . . Donta Kendrick is slightly ahead of Jason Grain at left guard after starting last week, but Hackett hadn’t decided who will start because Kendrick has a slight leg injury.